Die vollständige Sammlung der Geistersärge des Gelben Flusses

Kapitel 4

“Okay! Let’s elope then!” he answered readily.

I smiled and said, "But not now. A year from now, if you still remember me, wait for me by the South China Sea. Then we'll elope."

There's no real reason for setting a one-year deadline; I just wanted to test others, and also myself. I'm not sure what I'm thinking. Besides my own thoughts, there must also be the thoughts of the deceased woman, who is quietly influencing me.

I shoved a sword into his hand: "Remember, a year from now, come find me with this sword, and I'll elope with you."

I leaped into the sky before everyone's eyes, and sure enough, a tidal wave of gasps erupted from the city. People who were busy with various chores knelt down, and many more poured out of their houses. I deliberately revealed my true form in the sky, and even made myself very large. In an instant, the wind and clouds gathered, and thunder roared. Although I was just a very unsuccessful dragon, I was still a dragon after all.

I saw those foolish people, and I saw him standing silently in the crowd, quietly watching me, his eyes shining like stars in the night.

I suddenly felt sad. Although I am a dragon, I am still a beast in the end. We all want a human body. We all want to become the kind of animal we despise the most.

I fled towards the South China Sea, clutching my sword tightly in my arms. These should be a pair, male and female. Even if they are separated, the female will always find the male, and the male will always find the female.

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What is love in this world that makes people willing to die for each other?

Flying across the north and south, their old wings have weathered many winters and summers.

Joyful moments, bitter partings, and among them, foolish lovers.

You must have words to say, across ten thousand miles of layered clouds, amidst a thousand mountains covered in evening snow, to whom does this solitary figure turn?

---janeadam

Reply [8]: Two

For the next year, I never left the seabed again.

That world on the sea, I'd rather it be just a dream I can never realize.

The next day, I happily carried the sword to the Mermaid God's abode. She glanced at it and knew exactly what it was, asking me casually, "The female sword is here, but where is the male sword?"

I deliberately kept you in suspense: "The mighty sword is, of course, in the hands of a man."

Her insightful eyes quickly saw through my thoughts: "You've taken a liking to a man? You've only been at sea for a day."

"What does it matter?" I hummed a tune indifferently. It was the song "Qiu Hu Xing". I don't want to be Qiu Hu.

She remained silent for a long while before saying, "Naga, be careful, your fate has not changed."

Fate? What did she mean by that? "Will I die? But the first person to see me is already dead, will I still die?"

The Mermaid smiled slightly, "Everyone dies, including dragons. Although dragons have a long lifespan, long does not mean infinite."

"And what about you? The aquatic creatures say you are the oldest being in this South Sea. Why are you still so young after all these years?"

The mermaid smiled mysteriously: "Have you forgotten that I have a pearl that grants immortality?"

I don't believe it!

I looked up, and there it was still that slightly lonely azure blue, taken on a tinge of isolation, but it looked different to me. I suddenly remembered what I'd seen in the bamboo grove and understood what they were doing.

Humans have seven emotions and six desires, and what about dragons? They probably do too!

Before I had this human body, my mind was ignorant and confused. After I had this body, some things started to change slowly.

When I have free time, I start to think quietly, which was almost impossible before. I can't say what I'm thinking about, or maybe I'm trying to dig into the memories of this body.

However, what comes to mind are only scattered fragments, with no necessary connection between them. I am not in a hurry, because with me, this body has a lifespan different from that of mortals; it will continue to exist until the moment the dragon's life ends.

When the following year arrived, my eldest sister married and moved far away to Beihai. I heard that it was a place with harsh weather all year round, and even in summer, ice floes would float on the sea.

On her wedding day, I watched her get ready. According to the customs of Beihai, the bride wears a white wedding dress, which is completely different from Nanhai. Here, white clothes are worn at funerals.

When she put on that white wedding dress woven from ice silk, I had a distinct sense of foreboding. She didn't smile; she just sat expressionless in front of the dressing mirror. I couldn't sense any joy from her, nor could I sense any sadness.

I couldn't help but ask her, "Do you know your fate?"

The eldest sister calmly replied, "What difference does it make whether you know or not? Even if you do know, you still have to follow your destiny."

She rode in a wedding procession of sea whales northwards, a journey so long that even a dragon could not reach it in an instant.

I heard that her team traveled for three days and three nights before reaching that white ocean in the north.

---janeadam

Reply [9]: Half a year later, a messenger from the north brought news that the eldest sister had committed suicide. She had pierced her heart with a sharp, cold icicle and died on the spot without any warning.

A few days later, the eldest sister's husband personally brought her body back. He knelt outside the Lingbo Palace. After the aquatic creatures welcomed the body in, they tightly closed the palace door. No one spoke a word to him, and no one looked at him again.

Through the crystal wall, I saw my brother-in-law's pale face, and on his face I clearly saw the same numbness, neither joyful nor painful.

I suddenly realized that my dragon clan were such cowardly creatures. They simply accepted everything that fate had in store for them, never thinking of resisting, and never even expressing their joy or sorrow.

But I am different. I am no longer a simple dragon; I am half human.

Every day I carve a mark on the coral tree, silently remembering the day I will return to the surface. Actually, I don't need to do this. The aquatic creatures have a precise calendar; we keep track of the days according to the tides, and we have never made a mistake.

Three hundred and sixty days later, it was the Double Ninth Festival again.

Aside from me, it seems no one remembers it's my birthday. In reality, a dragon might have hundreds or even thousands of birthdays in its lifetime, so none of us really care whether we celebrate them or not. Birthdays are just a simple way to remember age.

That day, I went to the Mermaid Goddess to say goodbye.

She continued to refine pearls, as always.

Seeing me carrying the sword, she asked casually, "Where are you going?"

I leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I'm going to elope with you."

She glanced at me, neither confirming nor denying. I shook her arm: "I won't be coming back anymore. I'll miss you."

She smiled and patted my face: "I'll miss you too. Remember, this is your home."

I nodded and paced beside her. She was completely absorbed in the pearls, seemingly oblivious to me. What else was there to say? There seemed to be nothing more to say. Let's go then!